1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle data processing system and particularly to such a system that comprises a data input unit and a separate on-vehicle processing unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of information processing systems such as navigation systems, audio systems and the like have been mounted on vehicles. In the navigation systems, however, a driver must input transit points and a destination with reference to a display unit in the processor, but cannot input these data at his or her home without getting in the vehicle.
To overcome such an inconvenience, a navigation system has been proposed which comprises portable input means for manually inputting transit points and a destination, storage means for storing the positional data of the inputted transit points and destination and a communication line for transmitting the positional data of the transit points and destination read out from the storage means to the main on-vehicle navigation unit of the navigation system, the input and storage means being operable independently of the main on-vehicle navigation unit of the navigation system, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-265376. In such an arrangement, an operator can input transit points and a destination into the portable input means at his or her home. After the operator has gotten in the vehicle, he or she can connect the communication line of the navigation system to the main on-vehicle navigation unit thereof to transmit the stored data to the main on-vehicle navigation unit of the navigation system.
However, it is troublesome that after the data have been inputted into the input means at the operator's home, he or she must carry input means to the main on-vehicle navigation unit to the vehicle and connect it in order to transmit the stored data to the main on-vehicle navigation unit. It is of course possible that the data may be transmitted from the input means as placed in the operator's home to the main on-vehicle navigation unit through radio waves. At such a time, the main on-vehicle navigation unit must be active or in a data receiving state. Usually, the main on-vehicle navigation unit is energized when the vehicle engine is started. Thus, the problem of troublesome operation is still not overcome.